NEWTON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – One child was airlifted to the hospital after a shooting at a school in Newton County.
According to Newton Police Chief Randy Patrick, the shooting happened at Newton Elementary School on Thursday, September 30. The child was airlifted to a hospital in Jackson.
The Newton County Appeal reported Sheriff Joedy Pennington and Chief Patrick are classifying the shooting as accidental.
“A child brought a gun in a backpack. The weapon went off right at getting out of school time, accidentally,” Pennington said. The gun shot the six-year-old in the leg.
He told the newspaper that the backpack belongs to a first grader.
School Spokeswoman Tiwari McClain said they had an apparent school shooting involving two students. She did not know the condition of the students.
The Newton Municipal School District released the following statement on Facebook:
An elementary school student brought a firearm on campus today. From accounts, the firearm was in the student’s backpack and discharged, wounding another student. The wounded student was airlifted to Jackson for further treatment. Per district policy, a lockdown was instituted at all school campuses. The lockdown has since been lifted, and the children have been released home. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the students and parents of Newton Elementary School as well as all NMSD students, their families, faculty, and staff.
Dr. Glenda Nickson, Superintendent, Newton Municipal School District
Newton Elementary School will be closed on Friday, October 1, 2021. Classes will resume on Monday, October 4, 2021.
According to school leaders, N. H. Pilate Middle School and Newton High School will report on Friday, October 1, 2021 as normal.
Counseling services will be available for all students, faculty, and staff.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) will assist with the case, according to Chief Patrick.